India goalkeeper Savita Punia on learning to live in the present and why Hockey India League will be crucial to build careers

Savita Punia will play for Soorma Hockey Club in the upcoming Women’s Hockey India League.

A former captain of the Indian women’s hockey team and one of most experienced players, Savita Punia, is often referred to as the “Great Wall of India” for her excellent saves and quick reflexes. Born in Jodhkan, Haryana, the 34-year-old goalkeeper was signed by Soorma Hockey Club for the inaugural Women’s Hockey India League for Rs 20 lakhs.

Now a veteran of 298 international caps, Savita, in her storied career of 11 years and ongoing, has been an influential member of the senior team and a role medal to many juniors breaking through. So far, she has won three Women’s Asian Champions Trophy titles, three Asian Games medals and a CWG bronze among other accolades.

As Savita Punia prepares to compete in the first-ever Women’s HIL, Khel Now had an opportunity to speak with the pillar of the Indian team. Here are some excerpts from the interaction.

Q) You are back on the team with your best friend Rani Rampal, who will be the mentor of Soorma Hockey Club. How excited are you with this opportunity?

Savita Punia: We have played together for many years and are today in different positions—I am a player, and she is a coach—so it will be an excellent experience together. The biggest thing is that we will play in the Hockey India League.

As a player, this is a big thing for me because we have waited for this for a long time. It is going to be a good platform for the young players as well as foreigners. And with Rani also on our side, it is a good thing.

Q) How do you think Hockey India League will improve the domestic structure?

Savita Punia: Yes, there should be an improvement because this is a very good initiative taken by Hockey India, especially for the young players, who can now set their future goals like wanting to be a part of the Hockey India League. But they have to work hard to perform on that platform because once you reach there, it can also open the door into the national team.

There were not many tournaments when I started playing but if we compare it with today— there is like the Khelo India [competitions], there are Senior Nationals, Junior, National Sub Junior every year from where children come to the camp, but Hockey India League will help players a lot financially for their careers.

What happens is, somewhere your parents get stressed out that you are playing but what are you getting from it, so this is a good thing where a child can think about making this a career-option.

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Q) You have also played under both Janneke Schopman and now current coach Harinder Singh. Tell us about the differences in their coaching and the strategies they make?

Savita Punia: I have been in the Indian team since 2008, and in that period, I have trained under many coaches. I feel that you get to learn something or the other from every coach. So, it is not just that what is the strategy of different coaches? All coaches who come try to teach the best to the team.

There were Janneke ma’am, Kaushik sir, and now Harinder sir is there, and everyone has the same motive that I should take the team forward. When Harinder sir joined our team, he said, “I don’t know what to do now but I want my team here for the next four years and I need your support in that.” So, he gave us a target for the Olympics. Before that, there are the Asian Games and the World Cup.

Harinder sir pays a lot of attention to our basic skills. He also has an assistant coach with him, Dave [Smolenaars], who is from the Netherlands. Both of them are working very well together. Fitness is one of the biggest reasons that our performance has improved, so that is always a focus point.

Q) Looking back at your career, what would you say was your most defining moment as a hockey player?

Savita Punia: By God’s grace and my hard work, I have had a quite good journey so far. I made my debut in 2008. I can say only one thing: “If you decide on something and work for it, you can definitely achieve it.” There are many things you need to focus on, like your dedication, hard work, recovery, diet, and much more. But I believe that with the right mindset, you can achieve anything.

I have so many memories like the first time I got a chance to play for the Indian team as the first goalkeeper in 2013. Even before that, when I got the first call in 2007 saying my name was in the Indian camp, that moment was the best for me.

My parents had hope that if I was going to the India camp today, then tomorrow I could also be a part of the Indian team. After getting picked as a first-choice goalkeeper in 2013 for the senior team, I won the “Best Goalkeeper” award at the Asia Cup and four years later, I won that award again.

Then we qualified for the Rio Olympics, which was the best moment for us because we always thought that the hockey team had to qualify for the Olympics.

In Tokyo, we performed so well. After that, the Nations Cup was very important for us because we had to qualify for the FIH Pro League. Only if we qualified for the Pro League, could we play matches with the top teams in the world. We also won a medal at the Commonwealth Games. So, there are many good memories.

But yes, the biggest thing for me was when I was picked for the first time in the Indian team. An article about me came in the paper, and because of that, my grandfather and everyone at home were very happy. That moment is always the best for me.

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Q) How do you keep yourself cool under pressure situations

Savita Punia: First of all, it’s a little bit of my nature [how I am] off the field that always helps me, but I can’t deny that pressure is always there. It’s something that can never fully go away because it’s such a big sport. Like, I am an experienced player, and experience teaches you a lot about how to handle all those situations. Secondly, I started doing a lot of things, like breathing exercises and learning how to love myself in the present moment.

Before, I used to just think about the result, but now, when I’m on the field, I think only about the present moment. For example, if the ball is coming, how can I stop it? How can I coordinate with my defenders and teammates? These are the small, small things that make a difference. However, not everything is in your hands.

So, all you have to do is focus on the current situation and not think about the result. Apart from that we do yoga and breathing exercises. So that also always helps us.

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